C9 guitar chord: see the fingering, compare positions, and hear it before you play.
P - i - m - a - m - i · Smooth Bossa (2/4 · 6 notes · Level 2)
From the bass on the 5th to the 1st string there are 4 different notes. Six plucks give time to hear them. All 6 arpeggios
Subtle syncopation and oscillating timbre.
Play C9 one string at a time and you hear C, E, G, Bb and D. C is the root, E the major third, G the fifth, Bb the minor seventh and D the ninth. Said aloud, its notes are C, E, G, B flat and D.
String by string, low to high, it plays C, E, Bb, D and G. It runs from C on string 5 up to G on string 1.
You play C9 with a barre at fret 3. String 6 stays silent. Your hand covers two frets, from 2 to 3. This page has three positions. The others start at frets 2 and 8.
Change only string 3 in C9 and you have C6/9. Inside C9 sits a complete Gm chord, made of G, Bb and D. C shares two positions with this shape.
C9 belongs to only one key, F major, where it is the V9.
C 1E 3G 5Bb ♭7D 9
Root Bass (Fundamental String)5th String (A) • Fret 3 (C)
String Control (Muted & Active)5 / 6 • 1 X Muted
Placement tip: Barre fret 3. Press: 4th String (D) at fret 2. Don't play: 6th String (Low E).
Placement tip: Barre fret 8. Press: 5th String (A) at fret 10 with your Ring finger, 3rd String (G) at fret 9 with your Middle finger, 1st String (High E) at fret 10 with your Pinky finger.
Placement tip: Press: 5th String (A) at fret 3 with your Middle finger, 4th String (D) at fret 2 with your Index finger, 3rd String (G) at fret 3 with your Ring finger, 2nd String (B) at fret 3 with your Pinky finger. Don't play: 6th String (Low E), 1st String (High E).
| Item | In this chord |
|---|---|
| Frets | 2 to 3 |
| Barre | fret 3, from the 5th to the 1st string |
| Fretting fingers | 2 |
| Open | none |
| Muted | 6th |
At fret 3, only the barre sounds the 5th, 3rd, 2nd, and 1st strings.
Listen: C9 → C · Em · G
C9 sits in the scale of 1 keys.
The questions that come up most when playing this chord
To play the C9 chord on guitar, only 5 strings are played, from string 5 to string 1. Muted strings must be gently dampened with the fleshy side of a fretting finger to prevent dissonance.
The primary bass note of the C9 chord is its root note: C. In standard guitar tuning (EADGBe), this bass note is located on string 5 at fret 3.
When strumming or fingerpicking, strike this string first.
The C9 chord is constructed using the 1 - 3 - 5 - ♭7 - 9 formula (Dominant Ninth). Its constituent pitches are C, E, G, Bb, D.
To prevent fret buzz on the C9 barre chord, roll your index finger slightly outward (about 15 degrees) to press with its harder bony edge. Position your finger directly behind the fret wire and apply gentle arm pull from your back rather than squeezing with thumb force.
Thanks for studying with CifraLab
If this chord helped you, support us with a coffee on Ko-fi.
